UBC Presentation on the Benefits of the IB Diploma

Date and Time :December 8th, 2015 at 7:00 pm Place : Kay Meek Theatre​“Should I go into the IB or just stay in the regular high school program?”“I hear the IB Diploma is very difficult; will doing the IB hurt my chances of getting into university?”“Why should I do the IB Diploma?”

All around the world, students and parents are drawn towards the International Baccalaureate Diploma program for its rigour, its focus on critical thinking, and its preparation for post-secondary study. Yet despite the strong reputation of the IB Diploma, many prospective IB Diploma students and their families are unsure as to exactly how the IB serves as a good preparation for entry into post-secondary study. Many bright students are concerned that the rigour of the program may actually be detrimental in the university admissions process, concerned that higher grades would be easier to obtain if they did not enter into the IB.

Over the past many years, The University of British Columbia has been a top international destination for IB students; in 2015, UBC received more applications from IB Diploma students than any university in the world. Since 2003, UBC has conducted numerous studies on how IB students perform in university, evaluating IB student success both inside and outside of the classroom. The results of these studies have shaped UBC’s IB Diploma student recruitment practices and admission policies.

Parents of current and prospective IB Diploma students are invited to attend this information session with Andrew Arida, Associate Registrar and Director of Student Recruitment and Undergraduate Admission at The University of British Columbia. Andrew will provide an overview of ten years’ worth of research on IB student performance at UBC along with a summary of IB-related research from other universities around the world. The presentation will be followed by a group discussion on how UBC considers the IB Diploma in the undergraduate admission process.

This presentation is intended for families and students on the North Shore considering the IB Diploma Programme.